Nature's Influence
by ChukFolchart
Summary: Shikasaku, eventual SandSibs/Sakura friendship and Sandsibs/Shikamaru friendship.  May be small bits of cannon pairings and Gaasaku. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Never in my existence did I think the first Naruto fic I wrote would be Shikasaku. But hey, it took me a long time to come up with enough of a understanding of Sakura to like a LOT of her couples.**

**Disclaimer(which I forgot in my first two fics and will have in my future ones): I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be a character in it- duh.**

"Yeah, Tsunade-sama?" Shikamaru opened the door by leaning on it, like he hadn't the energy to really push.

"Come in and sit down, Shikamaru," Tsunade gestured blandly to one of the two chairs opposite her. He recognized Sakura Haruno sitting in the other chair, looking misleadingly at attention. But he knew this pink-haired kunoichi, at least passingly as he'd worked with her, and she had problems with focus unless she was on the battle field. He didn't bother to keep near the same posture when he slouched into the seat next to her.

"You will be working together on a mission to the Sand Village," Tsunade cut right to the punch. She always started with the main point, and worked through the rest of the details afterwards. Both he and Sakura knew this, so they just sat patiently and waited for her to continue.

"Children have been disappearing left and right over there," Tsunade said, tracing a red nail across her papers, though she probably had it all memorized. "In our village, of course, such thieves would be easily found and disposed of. Suna is about at its wits end about this, though. So, we decided to send our most clever chunin to help them track him. It should be fairly simple."

Shikamaru did not miss the word "chunin," in there rather than "shinobi." Tsunade wasn't even trying to pretend this would be a difficult job- they were sending rather over achieving chunin to make sure Suna knew they were counted as a worthy ally, who was taken quite seriously, rather than wasting their best jonin when they could be protecting Konoha.

"Where will we be staying?" Sakura asked. Shikamaru noticed she'd been tracing her own finger across her lap with a focused expression, like she was taking notes.

"The place people _won't _kill you in your sleep for 'stealing Sunagakure's former glory and independence'." No one jolted at the surprise, but Sakura did turn rather quickly, and Shikamaru's eyes darted to the side, as if to catch the intruder in his peripheral vision.

"Kankuro-san?" Sakura asked. "Temari-san?"

The Sand nin were in the doorway of the Hokage's office. Neither had bothered to come in completely.

Shikamaru smirked and finally sat up. "And where would that be?" he was very obviously addressing Temari, though Kankuro had spoken.

"The Kazekage's own dwelling," she answered, though Kankuro was saying something or other very loudly to protest being ignored. Her face was in the same arrogant smirk, and the alarms in Sakura's head went off. This was possibly the most obvious moment of mutual attraction pre-date that she'd ever seen. That would be at least one thing to talk to the blonde about on the way to the Sand.

"Will that be okay with Gaara?" Sakura asked Kankuro, and the boy very literally stepped in front of Temari to avoid being looked over again.

"Yes, he's fine with it," he sounded more like he was trying to speak louder than his now silent and ambivalent sister than like he was sure.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the girl and she looked away, a bit embarrassed, but mostly annoyed, and that's what showed. So, she was still just a tiny bit afraid of Sabaku no Gaara- the clearest memory she had of him, he'd been trying to kill Sasuke, and almost killed her. She knew he was no longer dangerous, it wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't like she'd freak and run away the second she saw him, she just didn't want to upset him by accident.

"Never mind."

"Well, this is all fine and dandy then. But why do we need chaperones to travel to the Sand? Both of us know the way by now, the trip's not that big a deal."

"Scared of someone who'll whip your butt to get you awake in the morning, Nara?" Temari rolled her eyes. Shikamaru didn't even look at her this time, but Sakura still felt the chemistry. Yep, she'd have to meddle a bit while the four of them were on the road.

"Apparently, the elders in the sand are giving this kidnapper higher rank than we are," Tsunade murmured. Sakura frowned, surprised, and Tsunade made eye contact with her student. The woman had often related how annoying she found it that Konoha's elders so often underestimated other country's problems.

"Are we gonna leave or just stand around talking about it?" Kankuro sighed, one foot still out the door.

**I know, this beginning really isn't much. I just wanted to establish why they were going, that Shikamaru and Sakura couldn't really care less about each other at the moment, and have some fun with Temari and Kankuro. (It pained me not to actually HAVE Gaara in this chapter, but ah well.) Review Please. ****J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait. School sucks. Well, actually I love school, but the lack of free time sucks. Hope y'all enjoy this! **

**Disclaimer: I OWN NARUTO! Not. I wish.**

The four ninja were off, Temari and Sakura leading, Kankuro right after them, and Shikamaru trailing behind. Sakura was fighting in low tones with Temari, and Kankuro was beginning to think the two were walking so fast specifically so he wouldn't be able to catch up and overhear their topic. He groaned and let himself fall back a little, till he was walking beside Shikamaru. Another day passed. Shikamaru had his own little mat to sleep under the stars on, while Sakura had her own tent, and Temari and Kankuro shared one. The next day, they took off again in much the same fashion.

"What do you think they're going on about?" Kankuro mumbled to the chunin. The brunette shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

" Probably something neither of us will understand. It's their business anyway, I guess."

But Temari, on the other hand, would have loved for either of the boys to interrupt Sakura's Spanish Inquisition.

"Yes, yes, I understand how it would work, Haruno. But for the fiftieth time- _I don't like him_."

Sakura sighed, as if Temari were the one being stubborn. "You don't even have to technically ask him out! Just convince him he's the only one of our group who would understand some piece of evidence or another, and invite him to your room to check it out."

"I don't _want _him in my room. I don't want _him_," the sand kunouchi continued to insist. "And the feeling is mutual, the boy's too brain-dead to know how hot I am."

"Are you kidding? You're the only one in this group he's even _looked _at since we left!"

Temari raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Yeah. If you got that on film, I'll buy it."

Huffing impatiently, Sakura crossed her arms and looked to the side, into the sky. It didn't help her mood when she realized how frightfully black and angry the clouds were. If it rained before they made it to Suna tomorrow, lord knew how they'd get through it.

"You know what? I'll bet it's _you _with the crush on him," Temari muttered spitefully. "Since you won't shut up about this. And since apparently you've been watching him enough to know who he looks at."

Sakura ignored that. She'd been friends with Ino her whole life. She knew how common and unmeaning this response was- it did nothing but reinforce her conviction she was right.

A rolling crash of thunder. Lightning flashed, in a tree near their chosen pathway. Shikamaru frowned. Something about that bolt hadn't looked quite right…

As suddenly alert as he was, he noticed when Kankuro stopped walking. He followed the boy's gaze to the girls, who had probably frozen first, as they were closer than he remembered them. Temari was looking back at Sakura, not looking particularly concerned, but cautious.

Sakura was looking at the tree the lightning had struck. Maybe she'd had the same thought he'd had.

And, without warning, she pretty much tackled Temari to the side, screaming, "GET DOWN!" A bright, red-violet flash. The general area they'd been in looked fried, with a single stream of smoke rising from it. Shikamaru backed up a bit, eyes searching the area for the attacker.

It was when he spotted Kankuro curling himself into an armadillo in a nearby ditch that he realized Sakura's order had been aimed at them.

He felt a jolt in his spine. He didn't think much after that.

Sakura mumbled under her breath as she looked out from her and Temari's hiding place. Temari, having just been randomly tackled by the girl beside her, was still bewildered.

"Oh my god… Nara just got hit by lightning! Shouldn't we help him?"

"That wasn't lightning," Sakura murmured, with no hesitation. "And I can tell from here he's still breathing. If we interfere now, _we'll _get hit. And unless you want to disappear anytime soon, we can't let that happen. Besides- I highly doubt he'll try to take Shikamaru unless he's sure all four of us are incapacitated."

"_Who _will? That was _lightning _Haruno!" Temari hissed.

"No, it wasn't. Among a few other properties I'm sure you missed, lightning is not that color."

Temari couldn't believe it. The Nara boy was out in the open, unconscious and twitching, and it would make him _less _safe for them to go out and hide him? The pink haired girl was unnervingly calm, as she stared out, her eyes on Shikamaru rather than looking for the enemy. Now that she'd taken herself out of the line of fire (evasion) she was watching the brunette for any sign he wouldn't make it to the end of their wait. Temari wasn't sure what Sakura would do then, but she had a feeling the leaf nin was forming a plan just as she sat there. Temari almost shivered at how quickly the girl had gone from the spacey, not-completely-there romantic to unreadable and focused. Sometimes she forgot who Sakura was apprenticed to.

They sat there for an incredibly long time. Shikamaru would stop twitching for a while, then start again, less violently then before. Before Temari could get to the point she HAD to insist they go out there and get him already, Sakura managed to avert her attention by tensing up and looking at the sky again. After seeing the pink haired teen as a statue for the last hour or so, this sudden change was enough to scare her wits from her.

A single kunai came, denting the ground an inch from Shikamaru's head. Tied to the top was a pink ribbon.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and her nails delved into the dirt. There were a few different possible meanings for that accessory, and she liked none of them.

And then, as if summoned, it started to rain. Not a few droplets, but a full on storm, water pouring down, out of nowhere.

Sakura waited maybe ten more agonizing seconds before grabbing Temari's wrist (the blond was surprised she could see at ALL in this weather) and dragged her through the pelting rain to Shikamaru. He was still unconscious, but Sakura wasn't going to waste any time trying to wake him up yet.

"Kankuro!" she yelled sharply. "Come over here!"

There was a silence. No one came from the ditch opposite them.

"You better get your butt out her _now _Baka! This isn't a time to be chicken!"

Another couple of moments, and Sakura cursed.

"Help me carry Shikamaru, Temari-san," she ordered, voice blank, with no negotiation. Sakura carefully took the boy by his shoulders, ignoring how he started twitching a bit again when she touched him. Temari obeyed, trying to pick up his feet without being kicked. A difficult task, when she already had trouble seeing his feet through the rain.

"What?" she still asked, trying to make out a figure in the nearby ditch. "But what about Kankuro?"

"Let's go find a hiding place. This rain isn't going to let up for a while," was Sakura's response.

When Shikamaru woke up, he almost decided to go right back to sleep. It was like he couldn't remember how to open his eyes. He groaned, trying to move and wincing. His hole body was unbearably sore, and by the time he'd managed to prop himself up on his elbows, a cool, oddly familiar hand and wet cloth were trying to sooth him back to his laid out position.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, he made out Sakura at his side. He barely remembered the past few days, but he could make out what had happened in words, up to a point. He remembered the attack, but he wasn't sure what had happened. Had that unnatural, purple lightning hit him?

The Haruno didn't comment on his being awake. She continued to gently scrub around his neck and shoulders with the washcloth, making him think enough to notice he was bare-chested. This didn't bother him much- he probably had a fever, everything seemed so cold. On his other side, Temari was sitting with her knees to her chest, a rag of her own in her hand. She wasn't looking at him, but at the walls of the tent. Though it was too small for its three occupants, it was probably Kankuro's and Temari's- made for two, and he wouldn't be moving much anyways so they could probably maneuver themselves around him. Though it just grew more difficult the more alert he tried to make himself, he heard something like hard rain, pounding against the outside of the tent.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, after he'd finished his thoughts. Perhaps she'd been waiting for him to wake up completely.

"Not well," he let his eyes close, trying to rest them without sleeping again. Deciding, even without an annoyed return, that this was not the answer Sakura had been looking for, he added. "My arms, back, and neck are the worst…" he waited a moment. "I… I can't feel my legs…" remembering where he'd felt the first shock, the knowledge that pretty much everything below his waist was numb filled him with a crippling fear.

He knew what happened to paralyzed shinobi. At least, the old ones.

"That's a good thing," Sakura murmured, like she was talking to herself. Without any further explanation offered, Shikamaru really hoped he could trust her judgment on that.

"Where's Kankuro?" he asked, instead of pursuing this subject. "Well, I guess this tent already is a little crowded, but I find it hard to believe you lent him _your _tent. You're not gonna make him sleep in the rain, are you?"

"He was taken," Temari said, with as little emotion as if she were talking about a distant uncle she hadn't met.

"When?"

"When we were hiding out. Even if I would have focused any of my energy on watching him, we still probably wouldn't have gone to help him first off. All things considered, he should have made it through a stand off with him without much trouble. He must have been scared out of his wits to have been overpowered like that."

Shikamaru didn't bother ask who she was talking about as the attacker. Temari had a very hard look in her eye during this description, which led him to believe Sakura was being vague on purpose. Why, he hadn't the slightest idea.

"So, how long till I can travel?"

"We're leaving tomorrow," she answered, leaving the washcloth on his forehead before rocking back to sit a little more comfortably. "You'll be sore, but capable."

Shikamaru couldn't resist asking. "And my legs?"

"You'll be able to feel them again when my remedy quits its work. It was designed to be a sedative as well as the rest of it's objectives. If it weren't, you'd be in much more pain while it was working."

Shikamaru realized that could have meant he'd been out for a night or so, as her remedy worked it's way through his head and torso. This was almost comforting- it explained the numbness.

"What are we going to tell Gaara about Kankuro when we get to the Sand?"

"That there's been another abduction," Temari answered blankly. Once again with the distant tone. Shikamaru wondered if she was in denial, or if she was repeating what Sakura had told her. Maybe both.

Sakura looked at the ceiling of the little tent. "Regardless, with those puppets of his, Kankuro will probably have snuck out of wherever they are in a day or two. It would be a great help if he could find his way back on his own. So we had a clue where we were going." she glanced at Temari then added, "Of course, we'll find him anyway, that'd just speed things up an awful lot."

Temari didn't seem to have heard a word she'd said.

Shikamaru didn't like looking at Temari like this. She was still beautiful, but when she was worrying about one of her teammates… one of her _brothers_, she wasn't herself.

And though Sakura wasn't _as _easy to look at, he found her presence oddly calming. When he managed to prop himself up again, this time ignoring Sakura's attempts to make him lay back, he found himself turned more towards her. Probably had something subconscious to do with her nursing him while he was out of it for the past day and a half, cause he certainly didn't feel like he'd been dead to the world for those days- more like they were a blur he'd rather not take in.

**Okay, though this chapter may upset some of you with its abrupt ending, I'm very pleased with it. Especially with as long as it took me to start writing this after the previous one, I was worried it'd completely suck. Review or Kankuro dies! I'm the only one who knows where he is. :P And if you're a Kankuro hater, guess what- if Kankuro dies, I'll completely destroy Temari's character as her reaction. :- ) Yes I'm that evil. So REVIEW! I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. And if red-violet lightning does exist, I apologize for that misinformation.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Did I mention school was making me intensely busy? No? Well now you know.**

**Disclaimer: Not my Naruto. **

The rest of the journey to Suna, Temari and Sakura took turns supporting Shikamaru, until he was so fully recovered he found it ridiculous. The storm didn't return, but Sakura kept a wary eye on the sky. Temari slowly regained life the longer they traveled, but Shikamaru was pretty sure she was going deeper and deeper into denial rather than getting better.

He knew it was insensitive, but it sort of irked him. Kankuro wasn't _dead_.

As soon as they'd passed through the gates of Suna, Sakura, at least, relaxed quite obviously. She drummed her hands on Temari's back and encouraged her to lead them to the Kazekage's office. Shikamaru hadn't been in the Sand since he was younger. He took a deep breath as they walked, and the warm sun lifted his mood. Konoha wasn't cold, but it was nothing like this.

Kankuro hadn't been exaggerating, when he first appeared in Tsunade's office. People gave the brunette chunin and pink haired kunoichi icy glares, as if the quite obvious Konoha shinobi were doing something hideously evil. Stealing the Sand's former glory and independence, as the puppeteer had said.

Upon entering the Kazekage's office- the receptionist didn't even blink at them as they passed, as they had Temari with them- they found Gaara reading some papers. Normal enough an activity, but normal almost surprised the Leaf nin more when it came to this man.

Gaara leaned back in his chair, seafoam eyes as lifeless and hard as Sakura remembered them. He could have been glaring, but none present would have been settled had his expression been any more relaxed than it was.

"Where's Kankuro?"

No greetings, no preliminaries whatsoever. Temari's eyes immediately seemed to unfocus, looking over Gaara's head at the wall. She certainly wouldn't be explaining.

"He's been taken," Shikamaru said gruffly, bemused when he noticed Sakura looking anywhere but at the Kazekage as well. Where had the girl's enthusiasm gone?

The redhead's default glare tightened, but he was obviously taking it easier than Temari.

"So you've already been in contact with the kindnapper?"

"Sort of.. We were attacked. I think Sakura knows more about it than I do."

Gaara looked at the girl pointedly. Sakura bit her lip. She wasn't as easy to identify with the girl who'd led them from the moment the attack had started to their entrance into Suna.

"Lady Tsunade taught me about more than medical ninjutsu…" she said. "She made me study up on the top criminals in the world. Something about being aware of possibilities. I knew the signs… we saw purple lightning…"

Temari was listening with as much focus as Gaara. Shikamaru wasn't. Not as completely. He was wondering what would happen if that storm made it that far… he had seen no stable ground when they'd arrived. He could almost see all the sand beneath their feet swirling in black water… and didn't want to know what that would do to the village, purple lightning or not.

He did pick up the main points of what she said, though. The criminal she'd identified this kidnapper with was named Mariru Gadu. The name sounded ridiculous. Apparently, his attacks were made by red-violet lightning, strong enough to kill a person. His other attacks were hardly without need of attention, but this was usually his last resort, because his fixation, for reasons still unknown, was gathering human subjects. Since he used the lightning to power himself up as well, a less powerful bolt would usually strike once or twice without being deadly, but enough to incapacitate those he wanted to collect, without problem.

Shikamaru remembered the way he'd been shot directly in the spine. Low voltage or not, that shot could have at least been aimed to kill him.

"That's _all _you know?" Temari sounded slightly annoyed now. "Then why didn't you explain any of this to us before?"

Sakura blinked, green eyes wide and innocent. "I didn't know you wanted to know," she lied blankly. Shikamaru was pretty certain, in that moment, that this wasn't all she knew, but she needed to tell the Kazekage this under different circumstances- like _alone_.

Gaara seemed to pick up on this as well.

"She knew more than you did," he said, voice ice cold. Temari said nothing more, as if her mouth had been frozen shut.

Sakura wasn't in the room she'd been designated a few mornings later, or any room of the Kazekage's huge home. Shikamaru wasn't particularly worried. He would have slept outside too, if he'd known Temari would drag them all out of bed each day, so early he was sure the plants had yet to waken. She even hustled Gaara out of his study, though he merely laid out and relaxed himself as completely as possible rather than sleeping, the insomnia never having left him even once he'd lost Shukaku.

Temari found a note in Sakura's room, stating for no one to worry, because she'd simply stepped out early. No explanation of where she was had been offered, but that didn't bother any of them much. It was her business.

They couldn't actually proceed with any planning until she came back, though, so that left little for the three to do. Gaara probably should have retreated to his office, but the look Shikamaru sometimes caught the redhead giving him didn't leave him confident he'd be left alone with Temari at any point during his stay here.

By lunchtime, they were all so dead bored, going out to eat was almost inevitable. They managed maybe an hour more than it was really necessary for them to wait, just in case their pink-haired companion returned, then took off for the nearest restaurant.

The staff nodded their heads respectfully at Gaara, and the three passed without problem. Once they'd chosen a table to their liking, Shika thought he saw the waiter flipping through his reservations booklet, trying to figure out who he'd have to cancel on. _"No, I'm sorry, your table will no longer be available… Yes, I'm sorry… Happy anniversary, Sir, but the Kazekage has chosen to take your table. There's nothing we can do…"_

Shikamaru wondered blandly if Gaara even realized the things that were moved around for him. Maybe if he was treated a little less like someone who could push anyone they wanted around, people would stop thinking he pushed people around.

Temari ordered for herself, and for Gaara, who never looked at or touched his menu. When Gaara mildly commented on how she'd ordered the wrong topping on something, Temari replied promptly that it was "_less _filled with unneeded fats." Shikamaru wondered if the two could look more like a mother and son if they tried. He asked the kid for a salad. He didn't like veggies much, but he wasn't hungry. He'd wager Ino and Sakura had similar tastes in food. He'd ask for a To Go box.

The meal was awkward, to say the least.

Shikamaru was trying not to pay attention to his companions, so he noticed when most others in the restaurant stood and made their ways outside, like there was something they wanted to see. He wasn't interested, until he thought he'd figured out what the overexcited murmurs were about. A fight.

Temari got up, catching the scent just a beat faster than Shikamaru had. It wasn't long before all three of them were outside, looking to see what exactly all the commotion was about.

Shika was surprised to find he recognized one of them within a second. The dark-haired receptionist to the Kazekage's office.

"What the heck is Shanenei trying to start?" Temari sounded exhausted. Gaara didn't look too worried.

Shikamaru blinked, trying to get a clear view of the girl with cornsilk blonde hair Shanenei was fighting.

"Umm… _any _way to help me understand what's going on?" Shikamaru sighed, defeated.

"Every time someone tries to approach Gaara without permission, and she gets wind of it, she starts a brawl. She has this idea that no one will want to simply talk to Gaara who isn't an assassin."

"Then why don't you stop her?"

"Because that assumption's not that off the dot."

Shikamaru glanced at Gaara to see if his sister had offended him. One thing was for certain- he didn't _look _like he'd have random blonde girls showing up to chat.

From what he could see, Shanenei wasn't winning. The woman was breathing heavily, and pulling her sweaty hair out of her face. The blonde was standing steadily, in a safe stance, seeming unbothered, maybe a little cautious and restrained.

Gaara surprised both he and Temari by stepping in the middle of them.

"Kazekage-sama!" Shanenei complained, voice loud and whining. "This woman- she's been trying to stalk you. She was going to take your life if I let her!"

"Whatever you think your evidence is must have been blown quite wildly out of proportion," Gaara said coldly. "Your ignorance astounds me- this is the Leaf girl sent to assist us with our criminal problem."

The receptionist's mouth dropped open. It took Shikamaru a moment to figure out his expression was much the same. Temari laughed.

"There's your proof. Everyone wants to be a blonde."

Sakura's distinctive shade of green eyes glared at her indignantly from behind newly golden locks.

**So yeah. Remember my beginning note? Yeah, that was started **_**weeks **_**ago. My inability to remember where I had been going with this chapter, to a point, is why this is so disjointed, filler, and all around crappy. I apologize. Stick with me and hopefully the next chapter will be better.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sigh. I'm thinking with my habits, you may just have to expect long-ish breaks between chapters. Surely they won't be as bad now, though, because I'm going to try to focus on the multichaptered ones I have rather than making random One-shots in between.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto was the first anime I watched, but no, that doesn't mean it's mine. **

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><p>"Gomen nasai gozaiimasu," Shanenei bowed unnecessarily low to Sakura and Gaara.<p>

"Umm… it's fine…" Sakura shrugged. It wasn't like she'd been hurt, or scratched… or winded in any way. If this was the Kazekage's protection, Sakura wondered how Sunagakure didn't rely on Konohagakure _more._

"Temari, take care of her," Gaara sighed, dismissively. Now that Sakura was back, he took off readily for his study. He had much work overdo as village leader alone- meeting to discuss infiltrating their enemies would have to wait till tomorrow.

"Why the crap did you ditch us to _dye _your _hair_?" Shikamaru was somewhat gaping, taking in the blonde tresses. It wasn't that it didn't look good… but he wasn't thinking about that. Wasn't pink supposed to be Sakura's signature or something?

"I don't understand the emphasis on _dye _and _hair_, Shika-kun. Spell it out for me."

"We waited for you _all day. _What was the point in the makeover?"

Sakura leaned uninterestedly against the wall of the restaurant.

"With the pace of this mission, I figured we'd be here a while. I like to get in tune with nature."

Shikamaru twitched. "You dyed your hair blonde."

"I dyed my hair yellow. To match the sand." She made this sound so perfectly normal.

"Umm… how did you get 'in tune with nature', back home?" he asked.

"I always loved Sakura blossoms." she said pointedly. Shikamaru vaguely wondered what her natural hair color was. "Of course, I meditate and stuff too, but everyone has to have ways to feel like they're connected with it." Sakura glanced him up and down, then poked him on the side. "Like that shirt you wear under the chunin jacket. It's sort of a light grey-ish color… and then you wear see through fish nets underneath, and have green lining on the outside. Doesn't that remind you of the clouds, sky, and grass?"

He frowned. "Well… maybe, but I wasn't doing that _consciously._"

Sakura smiled a little. "You're one of those who was _born _tuned into his surroundings. It's obvious with how you're always just outside, sleeping or staring at the clouds. People like me like the feeling, because it's more than what's normal for us."

Shikamaru shifted his weight trying to be subtle as he shook off her prodding finger. That's why he'd never talked to Sakura too much on his own- she was like, too focused or something. It was uncomfortable.

A night or so later, Sakura stood with her arms crossed, speculatively eyeing the paper over the Kazekage's shoulder.

"If Kankuro was escaping on his own, do you think he'd be back by now?" Gaara asked. His tone held no inflection on his own opinion. Sakura figured that was so his own emotions wouldn't play into the decision.

"Maybe…" Sakura edged. "I mean, his puppets would give him an easy enough alibi to slip out unharmed… but I really couldn't be sure of that. This guy is ruthless- he could have figured out Kankuro's puppet trick when he first caught him. That would make his efforts to escape take just a bit longer…"

"A few more days then?" Gaara's tone was still blank. Not dead like Temari's, but moreas, completely asking for her opinion, not downplaying or encouraging any reaction.

Sakura bit her lip. "We should probably set out tomorrow afternoon. A few more days _is _a bit of a stretch. The possibility of Kankuro getting out on his own just about breaks even at this point… which leaves the stakes of him _not _getting out a bit too high for us too wait."

"Who do you think should accompany you and Shikamaru?"

"That's the part I'm not confident on. I don't know your shinobi here very well yet, so I can't tell who would be best suited for the mission. Temari's a default, but with her problems with emotional investment, she's not a very good one."

Gaara nodded. Sakura appreciated his not taking offense to that.

"What would really help the odds…" she hesitated, then continued. "What would really help the odds, knowing our opponent, would be if… _you _could accompany us, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara had been writing down possible names as she spoke. His pen stopped just once when he heard her proposal, then he nodded and continued writing.

Not wanting to force an answer from him, she said, "Do you have any recommendations? For other ninja to come with us, I mean."

"Not really," Gaara murmured. "Only a good five or six who aren't the Elders really have talent above Shanenei, and the village really does need more than that for its protection."

"If we could be sure where we were going, we could contact the Leaf…"

"Who would be helpful in the Leaf village?"

Sakura scratched the back of her neck. "Well…"

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><p><strong>I think this is the first time I've finished a chapter in a day in a <strong>_**while. **_**Rate and review! The next one should be good, but I never keep the same plans for long- (It's a curse.) **


	5. Chapter 5

**The last chapter seemed better when I had just posted it- it wasn't filler but it wasn't completely unrelated to the story either, I guess. Hopefully this chapter's more engaging. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not even Japanese- what the crap makes you think I own Naruto? I don't make any money off of writing this stuff either, if that's what you're insinuating. **

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><p>"So, are we heading out anytime soon?" Temari's voice was finally edging on impatient. She was fully revived now, and it was obvious by the way she'd started blaming Sakura for their not having Kankuro back rather than pretending he'd never existed.<p>

"I don't know.." Sakura wasn't going to mention how Temari may very well not be accompanying them to find Kankuro. She wasn't sure the blonde would handle that well.

"Five days," Gaara said, sitting to join them several minutes late at the breakfast table. He didn't sleep, so his eating schedule was just a tad different from theirs, and you never quite knew when he'd be hungry.

"That long?" Temari was incredulous, and she was so to Sakura, her first thought not being that this was her brother's own stipulation rather than just his message.

"That _is _a bit long, Kazekage," Shikamaru muttered, eyeing him. He really should have added sama, but this hour of the morning didn't do him well, and Sunagakure's leader was lucky not to just be called Gaara. "Kankuro could have been killed days ago."

"We're sending for others from the leaf," Sakura explained, drawing circles on the table with her finger rather than eating. She'd lost her appetite when Gaara had explained to her, not long before retiring for the night, just how long her own idea was going to take.

She may not have been related to Kankuro, but that didn't mean she wasn't _completely _beyond being emotionally invested in his rescue. As Shikamaru said, he could very well have already been killed.

"Oh yes, more friends from Konoha," Temari's voice was seething. "Wonder whose idea _that _was."

Sakura shot a dark glare at her.

"Temari."

"Ha' Ha', I'll be good." she said. "I was just saying- five days for them, hm? Who all's coming?"

"Lee, Neji, Shino, and Kakashi… pretty much the works.."

"You also asked for the Yamanaka girl," Gaara reminded her, picking at his breakfast and taking a taste here and there. Shikamaru's eyes flashed.

"Ino?"

"Hai… well, at least I asked for her," Sakura murmured, leaning back and playing with the red ribbon around her wrist.

"Almost like you don't believe she'll show up," Temari accused.

"I have no reason to believe she won't." It didn't sound like she was trying to make the lie convincing- more like she didn't care to explain her reasoning.

"So what do we do until then, hm? Sit around this house like bakas?"

"Temari." Gaara was seemed the older one now, having to scold her every few seconds.

"You _could _train," Sakura said, humorless. Temari gave her a disparaging glare.

"Well, _I _for one, would prefer to sit around this house like a baka for a few more hours," Shikamaru yawned. He didn't bother to finish his roll- he'd almost fallen asleep at the table a few too many times already this morning. Sometimes, he just needed to sleep in.

Gaara was busy eating- the only one who seemed to care _to _eat at this breakfast.

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><p>It was nearly twelve before Gaara and Temari had both left the house, Gaara to work on some <em>more <em>paperwork (his job gave him an endless supply), and Temari muttering under her breath about the new move she'd needed to perfect anyway (to show how this training was, quite obviously, her idea and not Sakura's.)

Shikamaru was sleeping on the couch, and Sakura, not bothering to wake him up, perched on the back of it, amused. She'd figured Shika, on normal occasions, would be one to snore. Apparently not.

Or perhaps he was just pretending to sleep.

"You think Ino might not show?" Shikamaru asked. He was still lounging with his eyes closed, face towards the back of the couch, but she figured he was quite alert and waiting.

"Not really."

"Why wouldn't she?"

Sakura didn't respond, and this racked Shika's nerves quite a bit. He didn't give a crap whether she told Temari, but he _was _supposed to be Ino's teammate. He was allowed to have a little more info, right?

"Can't sleep?" Sakura asked dryly, after a prolonged pause. Shikamaru twitched.

"Not really. I usually take naps outside under my tree… it's too hot here- WAAH?"

Sakura had done nothing but innocently tap her foot on his rib, but he'd jumped like the devil, falling right off the couch.

"How the heck did I scare you, Nara?" she frowned condescendingly at the glaring, blushing boy. "You knew I was sitting _right here_."

"If you were sitting there, I figured you wouldn't try and bother me!" he growled a bit, trying to sit up. "Why the heck were you poking me?"

"To see if you were comatose. You hadn't moved in a while."

"I was _talking_."

Sakura gave him a smile that made him think she'd known exactly how he would react. He sighed, trying to breathe deeply. First a hyperactive airhead, then the Hokage's apprentice, and now a blazing sadist. This woman really made _no sense_. Troublesome…

"HEY!" the girl had tackled him, laughing and saying something about being bored, and him being an easy target. He tried to yell at her, but she was tickling him, and darn his stupid self, he couldn't stop laughing long enough to do much but manuever himself so he had _her _pinned, and really, at that point revenge was so perfectly handed to him it wasn't even fair.

He was highly aware that, since she'd known he wouldn't let her change the subject as easily as she'd attempted, this was her Plan B distraction. Hmph. Well, this one had worked, because by the time his sudden adrenaline rush wore off, he assumed he'd be to busy blushing and retreating to his room in agitated chagrin at this uncharacteristic tickle fight to care.

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><p><strong>Not in the best of moods today, I really wanted to start developing the Shikasaku relationship part of this story, but all I could think of in my brainfunked state was that random tickle fight I tacked onto the end. Hope you enjoyreview anyways!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Dear You(And if you're not You, you know you're not You.)**

**So I'm really having trouble with this fic. I altogether have the least ideas and the least current motive for it. I'm thinking about taking a break (cough giving up) from it. Of course, that's not set in stone. As un-developing and badly flowing as this fic is, I may continue it if I'm convinced I have a lot of fans who really enjoyed it. If that's true, you can message me/ comment on this fic, but you don't have to. **

**Also, I am not adverse to someone continuing it who actually **_**does **_**have ideas for it. I would enjoy nothing more. Message me, preferably giving me a sample of the writing you would have in the next chapter, and I'll let you know. **

**So, to end it- I may or may not continue this. Depends on if people actually seem upset I'm not continuing, and if anyone tries to claim it in the time it takes me to regain interest. If someone claims it, and I give them permission to continue it, I'll post a link to them on my profile and update you on this story.**

**Don't Act Offstage [Glee] and Golden Warrior [Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan] I am much better suited to continue. If you are a fan of my writing as much as this story/pairing in general, you might try them on for size if you recognize the categories. **

**I apologize if you were a big fan of this fic, and it's never continued. **

**It's Love, I Promise**

**ChukFolchart**


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